an innovation tsunami: What is a maker?
Mankind has been making things for a long time. The first human tools date back at least 2.6 million years. In fact, the act of “making” is a big part of what put humans on the evolutionary path. We quickly progressed from tools to weapons (or maybe the weapons came first), to language, to mathematics, to agriculture, to the arts, and eventually to the stars. So, if we have always been “makers,” how is a “maker” in 2015 different from one in 1815?
The maker culture of today reminds me, in a small way, of the old apprenticeship system of “learning through doing.” However, while an old-style apprenticeship was a relationship between the master and the student, today’s makers are not limited to learning from a single individual.
Today’s attraction of maker culture is characterized by less emphasis on formal education models, similar to the old apprenticeship system. As an alternative to what some see as a stifling (and costly) system filled with tedious and unnecessary subjects, the maker culture promotes informal networking and peer-to-peer led shared learning. This creates a new pathway for self-fulfillment, learning, and the spread of ideas. The term “maker,” as explained by Maker Media founder Dale Dougherty, “…conveys a sense of curiosity, adventure, and intellectual engagement… .”
The maker of today has access to a world-wide community of knowledge, ideas, experience, and innovation. With this “whole-earth” community, today’s maker can reach out into the constant information flow, concentrate, and then funnel what they need into their project. The advent of crowd-funding has provided a financing option for some makers that never before existed.
This new maker culture is founded on the principles of collaboration and open source creativity (software and hardware). Digitized, distributed manufacturing allows makers to quickly and easily source what they need. This “democratization” of tools and information has the capacity to eliminate (or at least minimize) the typical roadblocks or bottlenecks of traditional innovation.
The two milestones of the modern maker movement, as expressed by Charles Gantton the community resource website TweakTown, are Project Arduino and the rise of 3D printing. Project Arduino created an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software, while the maturation of 3D printing has allowed ideas to take physical form. With this access to sophisticated technology, makers can inexpensively create whatever it is they come up with, merging traditional pursuits with advanced machinery. The technological revolution has made possible the accelerated growth of the maker movement.
Much like the counterculture movements of the 1960s, today’s maker frequently focuses on healthy food, sustainability, environmentalism, and local needs. What differentiates them is that today’s makers embrace and rely on technology, while the 1960’s counterculture groups shunned it.
The Maker Movement Manifesto, as imagined by Mark Hatch (in his book of the same name) centers
on nine principles: Make, share, give, learn, tool-up, play, participate, support, and change. If you have an idea, start making it, share it, and give it away. Keep learning, find the tools you need, and don’t forget to play. Participate in other makers’ projects, support them, and embrace change. It seems to me that this formula, if followed, will create a tsunami of innovation that will continue to gather momentum. I don’t think we should stand in the way.
For more information or to get involved, contact a local maker organization. The Southcoast Makers Meetup meets in New Bedford, MA, and the Rhode Island Makers, Microcontrollers & Robotics Meetup meets in Warwick, RI.
by Richard Austin
Speaking of Success
The maker culture of today reminds me, in a small way, of the old apprenticeship system of “learning through doing.” However, while an old-style apprenticeship was a relationship between the master and the student, today’s makers are not limited to learning from a single individual.
Today’s attraction of maker culture is characterized by less emphasis on formal education models, similar to the old apprenticeship system. As an alternative to what some see as a stifling (and costly) system filled with tedious and unnecessary subjects, the maker culture promotes informal networking and peer-to-peer led shared learning. This creates a new pathway for self-fulfillment, learning, and the spread of ideas. The term “maker,” as explained by Maker Media founder Dale Dougherty, “…conveys a sense of curiosity, adventure, and intellectual engagement… .”
The maker of today has access to a world-wide community of knowledge, ideas, experience, and innovation. With this “whole-earth” community, today’s maker can reach out into the constant information flow, concentrate, and then funnel what they need into their project. The advent of crowd-funding has provided a financing option for some makers that never before existed.
This new maker culture is founded on the principles of collaboration and open source creativity (software and hardware). Digitized, distributed manufacturing allows makers to quickly and easily source what they need. This “democratization” of tools and information has the capacity to eliminate (or at least minimize) the typical roadblocks or bottlenecks of traditional innovation.
The two milestones of the modern maker movement, as expressed by Charles Gantton the community resource website TweakTown, are Project Arduino and the rise of 3D printing. Project Arduino created an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software, while the maturation of 3D printing has allowed ideas to take physical form. With this access to sophisticated technology, makers can inexpensively create whatever it is they come up with, merging traditional pursuits with advanced machinery. The technological revolution has made possible the accelerated growth of the maker movement.
Much like the counterculture movements of the 1960s, today’s maker frequently focuses on healthy food, sustainability, environmentalism, and local needs. What differentiates them is that today’s makers embrace and rely on technology, while the 1960’s counterculture groups shunned it.
The Maker Movement Manifesto, as imagined by Mark Hatch (in his book of the same name) centers
on nine principles: Make, share, give, learn, tool-up, play, participate, support, and change. If you have an idea, start making it, share it, and give it away. Keep learning, find the tools you need, and don’t forget to play. Participate in other makers’ projects, support them, and embrace change. It seems to me that this formula, if followed, will create a tsunami of innovation that will continue to gather momentum. I don’t think we should stand in the way.
For more information or to get involved, contact a local maker organization. The Southcoast Makers Meetup meets in New Bedford, MA, and the Rhode Island Makers, Microcontrollers & Robotics Meetup meets in Warwick, RI.
by Richard Austin
Speaking of Success
